Frozen Heart
by muszka
Summary: A series of unfortunate omissions left a young girl's body marred. The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, is summoned to Northern to investigate the case and do justice with those whose voice cannot be heard.
1. Chapter 1

My deepest gratitude to Rei, for BETA and mostly for helping me designing the plot for this fanfiction.

_x_

_The suspect is a 17 year old female. Average height. Blue eyes, white hair. No significant features. The suspect was brought into the investigation room chained due to unpredictable bursts of violence. Since the arrest, she is kept in isolation. The warders defined her as a hysterical verbal girl who suffers of delusions; the suspect had been reported to attack one of the warders before, during an escape attempt. The suspect was sent to a psychiatric examination, which confirmed her fit for this questioning._

_The suspect shows a high level of hysteria and a delusional way of thinking. She tried to fight the warders who brought her into the room. Her answers are short and out of context. She keeps mumbling about a danger coming. The suspect is thought to show early signs of psychosis. The suspect was explained the reason for this questioning and its importance._

_**Q:**__ what is your name?_

_**A:**__ Anna._

_**Q:**__ what is your personal status?_

_**A:**__ I__'__m an heir of –_

_The object is cut by the interrogator._

_**Q:**__ what is your personal status? Are you unmarried? Married?_

_**A:**__ unmarried._

_**Q:**__ any family members?_

_**A:**__ my parents died three years ago. My older sister…_

_The suspect is hysterical. The suspect stands up, a warder pulls her back down. The subject starts tearing up. Her speech is fast and broken._

_**A:**__ …we__'__re all in danger! It got her. My sister. A big danger is coming. If we won__'__t stop her now it will be too late. We must stop it. You must release me. It is a mistake._

_The object is given a shot of 6 ml Diazepam in order to calm down. The suspect resists violently when told it is for her own good. The suspect is mumbling quietly in gibberish._

_**Q:**__ when was the last time you__ saw your sister?_

_**A:**__ three days ago._

_**Q:**__ did she tell you where is she going?_

_**A:**__ no._

_**Q:**__ did she tell you what is she going to do?_

_**A:**__ Arendelle is in great danger!_

_**Q:**__ is this what she told you?_

_**A:**__ no. My sister was cursed._

_**Q:**__ who cursed your sister?_

_**A:**__ I don't know._

_**Q:**__ when was she cursed?_

_**A:**__ I don't know._

_**Q:**__ did your sister tell you anything before she disappeared?_

_**A:**__ no…_

_The suspect becomes tensed. She starts trembling but doesn't try to escape. She grinds her teeth and mumbles in gibberish. The suspect__'__s eyes start rolling. The suspect is recorded saying __"__I__'__m cold. It__'__s getting late__"__._

_Q: when did you find out about your sister__'__s condition?_

_A: three days ago._

_Q: did she tell you anything about her condition?_

_A: no._

_Q: do you suffer of the same thing?_

_A: no! We must stop her… we must stop her… I can stop her… so cold… –gibberish– we__'__re in danger…_

_The suspect only talks gibberish from this point and on. She is taken back to her cell. Another psychiatric examination is recommended._

"…and a few hours after that, she was found in her cell in… that condition?"

"Yes."

The young man thoughtfully scratches his chin, his golden eyes are still fixed on the paper he was holding in his hands; his eyes move, reading this confusing testimony over and over. Eventually, he lifts his eyes, his eyebrows are slightly furrowed. "Who found her?"

"I did," the man who is standing right in front of him responds. He is a young man, in his mid-twenties perhaps, and is very pale; some thin blond hair falls on his eyes over and over despite his attempts of pulling it backwards; Edward can see the fear and horror in his eyes when they meet his own.

Ed leans backwards in his seat and throws the papers at the table. "It wasn't his fault," he mutters as he glances at Olivier. "He just happened to find her after she had already vandalised… how long do you work here?"

"A-a week… i-it was my first night shift, when I found her…" the warder responds.

"See?" Ed snorts at this answer, his eyes are still fixed on Olivier firmly. "This is your answer; you arrested the wrong man. Besides, if it was his doing, he'd find a way to escape; he knows he'd be executed if he's found guilty, he won't take this risk."

Olivier frowns. "He was the only one in the area at that time; no one was seen coming in and out, and there were no signs of someone breaking into the cell. Private Arnolds– –" the young man flinches when he hears that. His ranks were taken the moment he was arrested, and the memory of what he had just lost is still fresh in his mind, "– – was the only one to have the key to her cell."

Ed frowns again. "So maybe what attacked her did come from inside of her body, after all. She claimed her sister was cursed – that's at least what's written in the testimony. Can you give me any information about her sister? Uh… we'll do it outside," he hurries to say when Olivier opens her mouth to speak. "Please, make sure Richard is released and cleared of any charges, he's innocent."

"…understood."

Ed doesn't stay in the room while Olivier is taking care of everything. He's desperate for some air; there is a blizzard roaming outside and there's a temporary curfew thrown over the fort, forbidding everyone from opening the doors. He feels trapped; closed spaces never bothered him, this feeling cannot be explained.

Something was wrong… very wrong. This thought crossed his mind the moment the Colonel handed him the paper which showed the brief of this mission, it was short and missed a lot of details; it showed him a picture of a local conflict. Why would a state alchemist be called to handle a situation such as this? And when he got to Fort Briggs and the picture did clarify itself at last, it still made absolutely no sense…

"…Major General…" he starts the moment Olivier leaves the room. He squints his eyes at the woman's icy glare, "this testimony… how long ago was it taken?"

"Twenty years ago."

The wrinkle between Ed's eyebrows becomes even more visible; he lowers his head, massages the bridge of his nose as he resumes to speak, "and that woman… she was kept under your watch ever since?"

"Yes."

"I should ask why would the military bother to preserve a dead body for so many years, but the right question should be, why now?" he lifts his face, his eyes meet the woman's fierce stare once again. "This incident happened twenty years ago. This testimony is the only thing that was ever written about it. Why does it bother you now to begin with? Because that body lost its arm?"

"That girl wasn't dead to begin with," Olivier's voice is quiet and calm; a slight frown appears on her own face as she resumes her speaking, "she had a pulse for the whole time."

"But she didn't react to any kind of stimulus."

"That is true."

Edward quietens for a long moment, slowly scratches his chin. "…if she is alive, wouldn't the right thing to do be warming her up? If there is a pulse after all these years, if you moderately unfreeze her body, there might be a small chance for her to live…"

"This is what was thought twenty years ago," Olivier responds. "Shortly after her body was found in her cell, there was an attempt to unfreeze her… however, a part of her leg melted."

"What? It doesn't make any sense. If it's true that a part of her leg melted, it means her leg was made of ice," Ed deepens his frown again. "Yet, she has a pulse, which means she is alive… and how do you know about this attempt of unfreezing her, Major General? I thought the testimony you gave me was the only document you have about that incident…"

"It is the only document about this incident," Olivier responds, "the rest of the information is given by word of mouth."

"So not very reliable…"

"No, but this is all we have."

As his frown deepens again, Ed covers his mouth with his hand, thinking; Olivier wasn't the type of a person who will fall for unreliable information so easily, unless it was serious enough… he is about to say something, but just when he opens his mouth to speak, Olivier cuts him.

"Come, let's go to my office. I'll explain you everything once we get there."


	2. Chapter 2

My greatest gratitude to Rei for the BETA and mostly for all her precious help regarding this fanfiction, which I cherish deeply.

_x_

Heavy iron pipes spread the warmth that is produced at the bottom floor, throughout the fort. The three large pipes in Olivier's office, along with the fireplace which quietly whispers as it devours the wood feeding it, making it one of the warmest rooms in the castle.

Yet, Edward still feels cold. He leans against the backrest with his fists dug deep in his pockets, glaring at the woman sitting before him. She lifts an eyebrow when she catches his glare and leans forward to put the cup of coffee she was holding on the table.

"What do you know about northern alchemy?"

Ed lifts his eyebrow. "Northern alchemy?" he sinks even further onto the backrest and spreads his legs forward. His automail is adjusted to the freezing temperature of Briggs, yet he still feels some irritating numbness at the spots where it is attached to his body, as well as in his joints. He only pushes himself forward to take his own cup of coffee; he pauses, and frowns. "…you won't charge me for that, will you…?" Olivier shortly shakes her head; just then, Ed leans backwards again and sips. "I never heard there's such thing as northern alchemy to begin with…"

"I'm not surprised," Olivier says and entwines her fingers together. "Alchemy isn't popular in the north as it is here in Amestris, or in the east. Their alchemy is very different than how we know it; while the Amestrisan alchemy exploits the energy which comes from the shift of the tectonic plates and the eastern alchemy harnesses the constant flow of life energy, the northern energy utilises the human body."

Ed's eyes open widely and he pales at once, shaking irrationally. "W-what…? You don't mean…"

"It does not involve any form of human transmutation or sacrifice," Olivier hurries to cut his speech. "However, the northern alchemists use the energy their own body produces… phlebotomy, in order words. They have a several ways to do so; the traditional and most common practice of the northern alchemists is stabbing the centre of their palm in order to draw their own blood and use its energy."

He calms down after hearing it. Disturbing views snuck into his mind when Olivier first mentioned the utilisation of the human body… though, not all of them are gone even when she confirms no human lives are involved in any way in the northern practice of alchemy. He frowns. "Why would anyone want to draw their own blood?"

"As I said, alchemy isn't a common practice in the north; northern alchemists are viewed as shamans rather than scientists or healers. For centuries, the people believed alchemy reflected their gods and thus given to their earthy representatives – the shamans…"

For a long minute, neither one of them is speaking; the wrinkle between Ed's eyebrows deepens the more he lets the information sink. Alchemy which utilises the energy of the human blood… it is kind of smart, when he thinks about that; he, as a scientist, should know better than everyone what a brilliant machine the human body is, how amazingly complicated is the blood system is and how much energy this whole thing requires in order to work in harmony… of course, it makes sense. But it doesn't make it any better; there is still something quite repulsive about the mere idea.

"…this alchemy is thought to come from the east," the woman speaks again, shaking Ed from his thoughts. "Something about the ritual of the northern shamans injuring themselves resembles some of the eastern healing methods. It's only natural to believe that. After all, there had been an active commerce between east and west..."

"Of course," he mumbles. He remembers hearing something about that from Mei; she mentioned the usage of needles which are inserted into certain spots of the body in order to remove obstruction of the float of life energy within the body… but these needles are thin and in no way draw any blood.

"However," Olivier continues, "over the years, new methods of practicing this alchemy were developed and made the alchemy practice more popular among the common people… certain poisons, foods, even creams which are absorbed into the skin, made the northern alchemy more accessible."

So it isn't all about human blood… maybe it is not that bad, after all. He lets out of a low growl and closes his eyes the more he sinks onto the backrest; he frowns when he opens his eyes, hangs them on hers.

"…the Blood Seal is something you should credit the northern alchemy for," Olivier leans backwards, puts her hands over the armrests.

"Huh?" Ed quirks an eyebrow again. "How exactly? There was no mentioning to it in all the books I've read…"

"Fullmetal." The woman stops him with her decisive tone which leaves him no room for arguing. "When one nation conquers another, what is one of the first things you, as a conqueror, will do to ensure this nation will become a part of your own?"

Edward remains quiet for a long moment. "I'd erase this nation's history," he responds slowly, with a quiet voice.

"Exactly," Olivier confirms. "When the northern regions were annexed to Amestris, one of the first actions that were taken was to append their history of all its branches to Amestris'. In other words," the woman taps her index finger over the armrest, "once the northern regions became a part of Amestris, their history and sciences became Amestrisan as well."

The answer doesn't satisfy him. He snorts. "So how come I didn't even know about their alchemy?"

"You did know. About the one part of it that interested the Amestrisan scientists were searching this field," Olivier keeps tapping at the armrest in a steady rhythm. "What you didn't know was its source."

"Right." Ed frowns again. Something about this story doesn't feel right. Even if this alchemy was practiced for the sake of some religious ritual, it is very different than what they have in Amestris and understanding it better can only stand for their benefit. "And how about this place… that Arendelle. What's with it?"

"Arendelle was annexed to Amestris about three decades ago, for similar reasons as the annexation of Ishval," Olivier starts. "The land is too harsh to work and it's covered with snow for most of the year. However, it's crossed by a large river which makes it an attractive meeting point for both Drachman and Xingese traders." The woman entwines her fingers together, "unlike Ishval, for the matter, the people of Arendelle welcomed the Amestrisan military with open arms when it invaded the land. For them, it was either becoming a part of Amestris or being brutally conquered by Drachma. It wasn't a very large land to begin with… but it's all a matter of interests."

"Of course," Ed mutters, his eyes fall on his own feet; this pain in his leg seems to increase. He frowns deeply. "Get to the point, Major General… it used to be a kingdom before it was annexed, right? What happened to the kingship?"

"The king and queen of Arendelle disappeared a several years after the annexation. They were supposed to arrive at Central for a meeting with the Führer, but…"

"…they never arrived." His frown deepens. "How convenient…" he adds with a quiet murmur.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, how convenient," he lifts his eyes to meet Olivier's, giving her a meaningful glare; the woman frowns in respond.

"Due to the willingness of the people of Arendelle to cooperate with their conquerors, the authority of the king and queen, although limited, wasn't taken from them," she sinks into her seat, crosses her legs. "And after they disappeared, their rights and responsibilities were given to their daughters. However, their eldest daughter disappeared as well after three years, and the other girl… well, you read the papers."

"So who's in charge of that place? In an absence of an heir, I bet Bradley made sure to appoint someone on his behalf…"

"…there is an heir."

"But I thought –"

Olivier lifts her hand. "Anna was married."

Ed lifts his eyebrow as he glares at Olivier in disbelief. "In the report, she said she's single."

"She was, when she was questioned," the woman explains. "However, soon before she froze, Anna took her vows to her husband."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Ed stays quiet for a long minute. "Is he still holding this position?"

"Yes."

"Take me to see him."


	3. Chapter 3

A huge thank you once again to Rei, for BETA and for all the grand additional help. Thank you also for those of you who reviewed this fanfiction, it means a lot.

Disclaimer: I am very much aware that wearing the wedding ring on the right index finger is only customary among the Slavic people, yet, I wanted to use it as one of a several clear cultural differences between the people of Arendelle and the rest of Amestris' population. Please, keep it in mind.

x

"Al? Al! Can you hear me? Al!"

The storm roaming outside made the phone lines disrupted, Ed knew that; however, he did manage to catch his brother on the phone and he even heard him when he spoke, at least at start… so why is it just now that the lines are cracking again?

"Brother, I'm at… tomorrow… I… he said…"

"Al!" holding the receiver tightly, he attaches his lips to the transmitter. There was no use doing so, if the line is broke, this is not going to be the one thing that will fix it, but Edward is desperate. "Al, I can't hear anything! Talk slowly, I hear your voice in truncated!"

"…going to the… row… noon, wi–"

Ed frowns. "…tomorrow's noon? Is this what you're trying to say? Answer me, Al!"

"…e… row…"

"With 'yes' and 'no' answers, Al!" Ed growls. Usually, he tries to stay calm when he talks to his younger sibling, but once again his bad temper defeats him. "Al!"

But there was no use; the line is dead completely and now the only thing Ed can hear is a long, breaking sound, which indicates on the end of the call; he growls again, violently shoves the receiver against the phone stand.

"Do not damage the military's property," the cold voice behind him is quiet. Ed growls, but he knows responding with a snippy retort won't bring any benefits.

"Let's go," he mutters, tucks his fists in his pockets.

x

Hans' office is smaller than Edward imagined. There is a large low desk that divides the chamber into two halves and from both sides there are comfortable armchairs onto which he sunk the moment he sat on. The flame, which flickers in the fireplace, shutters softly as it devours the wood, abates the roar of the storm outside and even the carpets which are painted in a deep hue of red seem to muffle the outer sounds. However… this chamber does not feel cosy; there is something in its atmosphere which Ed cannot quite determine. He feels odd… like the chillness of death is gnawing through his bones.

"Thank you, Sverre," Hans nods his head at a servant who pours warm coffee into delicate cups; the latter bows shortly and leaves the room. Hans moves his long finger over the handle of the cup before he thread it through the elegant curl it was making to pick it up and bring the cup closer to his lips; his eyebrows arch as he glances at Edward, keeping his eyes fixed on the younger man as he takes a small sip. "I assume, you came for Anna?"

Leaning against the backrest with his right arm thrown over it, tapping on the lip of the cup with his finger, the question catches Ed off guarded. "Huh?" he glances at the man sitting in front of him, looking at him with big, oblivious eyes. "Oh," he straightens, places his both hands on table. "Yeah," he confirms, and squints. "How did you know?"

"This is the only reason visitors from Amestris arrive," Hans explains simply. There is something odd about the way he talks about Amestrisans, something which has a deeper meaning than of an Ishbalan talking about the Amestrisans as the people of a land separated to their own; in this statement, there is a recognition of Arendelle as a bridge between cultures, an acceptance of rifts and distances out of no other choice… it's strange; Arendelle didn't show a slight resistance to the annexation with Amestris; the small kingdom embraced the Amestrisan alphabet and culture, gave up their long monarch tradition to accept the Amestrisan ruler… something about this attitude feels not quite right. Edward tsks. He doesn't like this man.

"Seems like you have many visitors who come here for Anna," he remarks, taking a small sip of the coffee which was served to him; almost instantly, he accidentally spills some of it as he is attacked by a wave of coughing; the coffee is bitter, way more bitter than the type he is used to drink, even more so than the type served in Briggs Fort.

Hans chuckles at Ed's reaction and gestures with his hand; immediately, the servant approaches and hands Ed a handkerchief which he grabs and rubs his face; putting it down, Ed notices a small embroidery of the letters "A&amp;H".

"There aren't as many visitors as you might think," Hans' voice cuts through his trail of thoughts. "Sometimes the military comes here for refreshment after an exercise in the taiga, but that's about it. Amestris hasn't found out the wonders of the north just yet…" he adds with a chuckle.

"But there _are_ people coming here asking you about Anna," Ed talks before the other man can say anything else that would divert them from the issue which brought him to this place all along.

"Naturally," Hans glares right into his eyes when he speaks; his expression is indifferent. But however, his eyes… they are glaring fiercely into his own, almost as if Ed has crossed an invisible line and intruded too much into his comfort zone. "You know, rumours spread faster than fire… when I came back to Arendelle from the prison where Anna was kept, the palace was already flooded by locals asking what happened. Then came people from Pefesy, Doverheim, Gronval…but the military quietened the rumours before they could reach Northern City. Obviously, I did have some curious visitors coming here for a while after that, eager to see the frozen princess…thankfully, such visits also stopped soon enough. We all thought it's better this way, losing her was hard enough…"

From the man's face, Ed moves his eyes to his hands; the thick gloves hide any trace of ornaments that can adorn the other man's fingers. "Show me your left hand," Ed mutters. Good thing that the Major General isn't present in the office, she would scold Ed for talking so rudely to a man older than him.

This very attitude confuses Hans, who arches his eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Your left hand. Take the glove off and show it to me."

Hans keeps his eyebrow lifted as, in a slow and an elegant movement, he removes the glove from his hand and shows it; this is the hand of an aristocrat, no doubt; his fingers are long, his nails are chopped and clean, not many men had such a hand these days.

Ed frowns. "I thought you and Anna were married."

"We are."

"So where's your ring?"

Hans chuckles lowly, leniently; Ed deepens his frown, unhappy with the ridiculing tone in the other man's noise. "In the north, the wedding ring is worn on the right hand," he explains simply, removes the glove from his other hand; indeed, his finger is adorned with a thin, delicate golden ring.

He squints his eyes, tries to remember. He could swear he hasn't seen a ring on Anna's finger when he checked her body… maybe this man doesn't lie about his marriage to Anna, but why would he get a ring for himself, but not to her?

It seems like Hans could read what is going on in the younger man's mind, as he responds before the question is asked, "Anna and I took our vows shortly before she has gotten into this pitiful state," he sighs, slings his long fingers back into his gloves, "we didn't have time for an actual wedding… I didn't have time to give her a ring. I promised myself I will do it, once she's back to…" he pauses to take a deep breath. Looking at his face, Ed can notice the inner struggle the man is going through; how to define this girl's state? She isn't actually alive, yet, she isn't dead. "…her usual state," Hans clears his throat when he says that, entwines his fingers together over the large table. "It's been twenty years since I made that promise and I did not forget that. I did not lose my hope, either."

"Is this also why you kept these handkerchiefs?" Ed remarks as he nods at the handkerchief he was wiping his face with earlier.

"Yes," Hans sighs. "Even her wedding gown is preserved… as if those twenty years that passed since _that_, never happened."

The more Edward examines the other man's face, the more dumbfounded he is. He came to this meeting thinking of Hans as a potential suspect. The man had every reason to be suspicious: he arrived to Arendelle for the first time shortly before the queen disappeared, and he married the princess - the only remaining heiress - minutes before she turned into a statue of ice that positioned him as the only one in line for the kingship. It was too convenient to be just a coincidence… yet, the man who is sitting right before him appears innocent.

"…there is only one person who can be responsible to everything that had happened," Hans' face changes; a deep frown is taking over his past calm expression, his eyes become cold, merciless. "The monster-queen, Elsa."

Ed's expression remains indifferent as he looks deep into the other man's eyes; once again he leans over the backrest of his seat, placing his right hand on the table. "I went through the affidavit taken by Anna, several hours before she turned into a block of ice," he states simply, ignoring the face Hans is making when he hears that. "She claimed, repeatedly, that her sister was cursed."

"Her sister wasn't cursed by anyone," the other man mutters with a hiss. "Her sister was a monster… she was determined to destroy life as we know them in her sick strive for power. She was dealing with dark forces in the sole purpose of gaining control which, eventually, brought her to destroy anyone who could stop her."

"So why didn't she destroy you?" Ed squints. "You were standing in her way. You have got the power over Arendelle once Anna could no longer take this position. You became the only heir, the only one who could claim for power. Why didn't she stop you?"

"She tried," still frowning, Hans straightens his back, lowers his eyes to stare at Edward as from above; the younger man shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The man is mocking him… he growls though remains silent, allowing Hans to continue. "Shortly after she disappeared, I stood in the head of a delegation that went after her. We tried to capture her. The casualties amongst our men were unbearable… we had to retreat, I couldn't risk the life of any more men. And when I returned, I was told Anna was taken for an inquiry. The rest…" lets out of a deep sigh, "you already know."

For a long minute, Edward remains quiet. He made all the way from Briggs for answers, and he is going to return to Briggs with more questions and not a single trace. It angers him; he is thrown back to the starting point, he has nothing, only unanswered questions and a heavy feeling of uncertainty that sits in his stomach. "Thank you," he states simply and stands up. Hans is standing up as well, offers his hand which Ed shakes shortly. "I might be coming again with more questions…"

"The gates of Arendelle are always open."

Ed nods his head shortly and takes his coat which the servant holds for him; he puts it back on once he leaves Hans' office and marches down the corridor to the exit, follows by the servant who opens the door for him; the military vehicle is waiting for him outside, only a several metres away from the entrance; just as he crosses the threshold, he could swear he hears the servant talking to him.

"It's a fraud."


End file.
